CPIHL Playoff Preview: Tier I Bears Cup

The 19th CPIHL regular season has concluded, with some of the tightest races in league history foreshadowing what should be a highly competitive postseason. There were virtual ties at the top in Tiers I and II.

The playoffs get underway in all three tiers Friday night (weather permitting). Tier III has not only picked up a new name for its hardware – the Rothrock Cup – but the flight’s 4-team field will be double-elimination for the first time, joining the format enjoyed by the other tiers.

CumberlandValley (16-2-0, 32 points) ran this thing wire-to-wire, getting off to an 8-0 start and holding off a late threat from Wilson (15-1-2, 32) on the basis of total victories. Those two combatants split their regular season series, with the Eagles winning early in the season and the Bulldogs winning late.

The Berks Co. outfit clearly has the momentum as we head into the playoffs. The Bulldogs have it all – size, speed, sniping, goaltending, depth. That will make them a tough out in a tournament where, prior to Championship Night, you have to lose twice to be shown the door. Wilson’s 4-2 setback to CV back on Dec. 7, by the way, turned out to be its only loss of the season.

Goalie Marc Daouphars has quietly had a brilliant high school career in net at Wilson, but he’s got plenty of help this season. Erik Bowers (32 goals, 18 assists for 50 points), Mike Simmerman (18-29-47) and Bryce Whitman (17-17-34) are three of the top 11 scorers in the tier, while Daouphar’s 2.28 goals against average was second.

Which brings us to the CV Eagles, who claimed the top spot for the first time since that memorable unbeaten ’09-’10 squad. The only goalie in the tier with a better GAA than Daouphars was Jake Morrow, at 1.93. The Eagles also boast firepower and playmaking ability, led by Tristan Enck (31-16-47), Collin Bradley (18-20-38) and Tyler Gilbert (12-16-28). The Eagles have been waylaid with illness making its way through the locker room, but head coach Doug Enck said he should have a full contingent on the ice after Friday.

Similar to a year ago, when Central York was running roughshod over the top flight during its unbeaten regular season, defending Bears Cup champion Hershey (13-4-1, 27) are laying in the weeds. Don’t make the mistake of looking at the five-point spread and discounting their chances. Coach Jarrod Hill has one of the most explosive squads in the league, led by Luk Devorski (14-20-34), Nick Shenberger (16-25-41) and Aaron Ellenberger (17-12-29). Goalie Mark Croxall was 2.46 with an .888 save percentage.

The thing that should concern the faithful is Hershey’s mark against Wilson and CV -- the Trojans went 0-4 against those two clubs during the season, 13-0-1 against everyone else. Chances are you’re gonna have to go through one or the other. Hershey has a history of properly prioritizing and rising to the occasion when it matters. You don’t win 12 Bears Cups without doing so. But those numbers also suggest this title won’t be defended without a mighty struggle. It might take an upset Friday night by someone else to help pave the way.

If you’re looking for darkhorses, we serve up two Wildcats: Dallastown and Mechanicsburg.

Dallastown(10-5-3, 23) has big Wyatt Malone in net (2.48) and a solid, if not electrifying, corps paced by Ben Kelkis (13-9-22) and Joesph Didusch (11-12-23). YorkCo’s Wildcats were strong in the first half, faded a bit during the second half, but can’t be counted out. They had some tight losses down the stretch.

Plucky Mechanicsburg (8-7-3, 19) can never be counted out, either, not with Joel Eisenhour in net (3.26 with a .921 save percentage, tops in the tier). Drew Archibald (23-16-39) and David Herbst (14-16-30) provide the offense, with Jon Fuhrman (14-11-25) patrolling the ice with authority. Whether the squad, incapable of really rolling lines, has enough to go the distance is debatable. But they’ll bring it.

Central York (10-8-0, 20) started strong but faded down the stretch and darn near coughed up the fifth slot to Mechanicsburg. The Panthers haven't gotten the scoring they've been accustomed to in recent seasons, as just Collin Potter (16-8-24) and Adam Linker (13-9-22) cracked the tier's top 25. This team's best shot was a season ago, albeit with a largely different crew. But Friday's backyard brawl against Dallastown in York should be a doozy, and you can -- yes -- throw out the record books. A win there could be a springboard back for a one-time Flying 5 club.

Elizabethtown (6-11-1, 13) had, statistically, one of weirder years in recent memory. The Bears have three blue chip scorers in Brady Dolan (30-45-75), Cassidy Galeone (24-34-58) and Tyler Christian (28-23-51), numbers good enough to make them the top three scorers in Tier I. But the club couldn’t keep the puck out of the opposing net, giving up 127 goals, worst among the eight playoff teams.

Lower Dauphin (3-14-1, 7) got in because the two teams below them, Hempfield and Central Dauphin, went a combined 3-32-1. But a playoff berth is a playoff berth and hey, anything can happen. The Falcons were paced by David Bramley’s 20 goals and 12 assists. Need to stop the puck, though. That didn’t happen during the season

CV led the whole way and Hershey has the steeled determination of a champion and the pedigree, but it’s foolhardy to seriously pick against a club that hasn’t lost a game in two months, let alone lost twice.